Our American Stories
iHeartPodcasts
Our American Stories tells stories that aren’t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we’ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit, and be inspired by our stories.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 31, 2025 • 11min
Meeting the Mother of My Foster Child Changed My Life
On this episode of Our American Stories, Christina Dent shares how her life was forever changed after she became a foster mother. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 31, 2025 • 27min
The Forgotten Story of the Black Man Who Was the First to Shed Blood in the Civil War
On this episode of Our American Stories, Nicholas Biddle died broke, never received a pension, and was never officially recognized as a Union soldier because of his age and the color of his skin—but he was treated as a soldier by his company and was the first to shed blood in the Civil War, just days after the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 31, 2025 • 38min
A Nephew Remembers What His Vietnam Vet Uncle Couldn't Forget
On this episode of Our American Stories, Mike Williams remembers his best friend and uncle (who was just one year older than him) as a "gun guy", and a Vietnam veteran who survived a harrowing night in the jungle after a helicopter crash. Here's Mike with the story of Dan Reeves. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 28, 2025 • 20min
The Woman Who Invented the Mega Church
On this episode of Our American Stories, the world was changing, and Aimee Semple McPherson certainly took note, becoming one of the first evangelizers to harness the power of national radio to spread the word of her mission. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 28, 2025 • 18min
The Car Repair Shop That's Not Just Changing Tires—But Changing Lives
On this episode of Our American Stories, Mike Gideon was just a gearhead who loved working on cars and restoring classics (something he thought he could retire on). But God had other plans... Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 28, 2025 • 38min
[This Week in History] Jim Thorpe: All-American, All Native American and the Making of Modern Football
On this episode of Our American Stories, in honor of Jim Thrope, who passed away this week in history in 1953, Sally Jenkins, author of The Real All-Americans, and Steve Sheinkin, author of Undefeated: Jim Thrope and the Carisle Indian School Football, tell the story of the man who changed the sporting world forever. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 27, 2025 • 11min
The Story of the Real—and Mostly Unknown—Author of the U.S. Constitution, Gouverneur Morris
On this episode of Our American Stories, our next story is told by Dennis C. Rasmussen, a professor of political science at Syracuse University and a Jack Miller Center Fellow. He’s also the author of The Constitution's Penman: Gouverneur Morris and the Creation of America's Basic Charter. Rasmussen tells the story of a Founding Father who wrote seven of the most famous words in American history: “We the People of the United States.” Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 27, 2025 • 19min
The 'Forrest Gump' of Drummers: The Story of Zoro
On this episode of Our American Stories, rarely does artistic rhythm rest as it does in Zoro the drummer. Hear from the man behind the great book Maria's Scarf how his talent and temerity ultimately equipped him for a mountain of fun for everyone. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 27, 2025 • 8min
The American Cigar Making Tradition
On this episode of Our American Stories, Drew Newman, of JC Newman Cigars, tells the story of cigars in the United States Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 27, 2025 • 30min
Last Men Out of Vietnam: Evacuating Saigon
On this episode of Our American Stories, in a thrilling, moment-by-moment narrative based on a wealth of recently declassified documents and in-depth interviews, authors Bob Drury and Tom Clavin tell the remarkable story of the evacuation of Saigon in Last Men Out: The True Story of America's Heroic Final Hours in Vietnam. This closing chapter of the war would become the largest-scale evacuation ever carried out, as improvised by a small unit of Marines. Bob Drury is here to tell the story. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
